Napkins in the form of sheets of material intended for wiping and for hygienic purposes are common household items that may be provided in the form of stacks of napkins from which individual napkins can be readily extracted when needed. It is desired for the dispenser for the napkins to be relatively inexpensive, easy to handle, able to protect the napkins prior to use, and easy to move to a location where the napkins are needed, such as to a table, a counter, etc.
A common type of dispenser for this kind of napkins is an open cardboard box in which the napkins are arranged in a stack standing on an edge of the napkins with a part of the napkins protruding through the opening in the box to provide a gripping portion. This is a simple and inexpensive way of dispensing the napkins. However, the protruding parts of the napkins tend to fold over the edge of the box and become ruffled and deformed.
Moreover, as soon as a few napkins have been removed from the box, the remaining stack does not fill the width of the container with the result that the stack may buckle inside the box contributing to the deformation of the not yet dispensed napkins, and rendering the gripping of the napkins more difficult.
A further commonly used option is to arrange the napkins in an interfolded stack which is placed standing on a bottom surface inside a container having a dispensing opening at the top of the container. The napkins are then successively removed from the top of the stack through the dispensing opening.
Interfolded napkins are sheets of materials arranged in a stack of superposed sheets which are each folded at least once. The sheets are interlinked in such a way that the separate folded sheets of material form a chain of sheets where each sheet has a leading panel and a trailing panel, the trailing panel being at least partly overlapped with the leading panel of the subsequent sheet in the stack. In this manner, the individual sheets are held loosely together by means of frictional forces arising between the overlapping parts. Except for the first and the last napkin in the stack, each trailing panel of each napkin is connected by interfolding to the leading panel of the next napkin in the stack. The sheets may be dispensed from a dispenser by pulling at the leading panel of the first sheet in the stack. In this manner, the first material sheet is extracted at the same time as a predetermined part of the leading panel of a subsequent material sheet is fed into a dispensing position in the dispenser.
The dispenser usually has a lid or cover with a dispensing opening that restricts the width of the dispensed napkin in order to keep the leading panel of the next napkin to be dispensed from falling back into the dispenser.
JP2008162660 describes a tissue-paper holder including a container for holding a stack of napkins, the container defining an upwardly directed dispensing opening, in which a movable lid is placed, the lid forming a weight being supported by the stack. The lid defines a dispensing mouth.
WO2010/132005 describes a dispenser arrangement for interfolding napkins, where the dispenser includes a container for holding a stack of napkins, the container defining a dispensing opening. At least one weight having a projected surface on the bottom wall which is less than or equal to one third of the stack-supporting surface, is placed in the container, and is intended to be supported by the stack.
It is desired to provide an improved or alternative dispenser for dispensing interfolded napkins to those dispensers discussed above.